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UK PM Starmer says Trump has a point on European defence commitment, NY Times reports

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that U.S. President Donald Trump has a valid point about European countries needing to contribute more to their collective defense. In an interview with the New York Times, Starmer emphasized the need to think about defense and security more urgently.

Reuters EUROPE
Published March 23,2025
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said U.S. President Donald Trump has a point that European countries must bear a greater burden for their collective self-defence, the New York Times said on Sunday.

"We need to think about defence and security in a more immediate way," he told the newspaper in an interview.

Starmer is trying to assemble a multinational military force that he calls a coalition of the willing to keep Ukraine's skies, ports and borders secure after any peace settlement, the report said.

On Trump, Starmer said, "On a person-to-person basis, I think we have a good relationship." But, he said, the U.S. leader's actions, from imposing a 25% tariff on British steel to berating President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, had generated "quite a degree of disorientation".